The silence of the open field was intoxicating. She was completely alone, sitting cross-legged in the tall grass, far away from the distractions of the capitol and the hustle of Hanna City stirring below. Luke's ancient texts told her that isolation was key to finishing this last step.
Her hands were raised in front of her, heat dripping through her palms as she cupped the nearly finished pieces of her saber in a floating circle. The hand grip, emitter matrix, lens assembly, power cells, and yellow kyber crystal all suspended before her, bobbing gently in the breeze. The pieces had to be fused together on a molecular level which required her absolute concentration, lest she wanted to cause an explosion that would surely kill her upon igniting the weapon for the first time.
No, she would do this right. She was ready. It was time she wielded a lightsaber of her very own.
The soft rustle of life teemed through the grass and nearby trees, tickling her senses. She shut her eyes, feeling the air whoosh through her lungs as she exhaled through parted lips. Her fingers strained to move the pieces together, as if they weighed thousands of pounds. She felt a small pulse bump against her palms as the crystal locked into the emitter matrix, then she heard a satisfying click as the lens assembly fused the two pieces of the staff together.
Then, the visions started. This was the part she was not looking forward to. The ancient texts had also talked about this, that the process of building one's own lightsaber triggered visions of the future.
Of course it does, she had thought.
Ben had warned her about the visions too. He told her when he built his cross-guarded saber, he saw flashes of himself wielding his grandfather's blue saber, alongside a lithe woman in white with brown hair twisted into three buns. But he also saw other images of him sitting on the throne of the Sith with the same woman, both black-clad and menacing.
And now Rey's visions forked out too, pathing roads she could take, destinies she could explore. She saw herself with her completed saberstaff, using it against her enemies, protecting those she cared about, and to teach others the ways of the force. In her visions, it glowed a brilliant golden yellow - no, now red - then back to yellow. Rey sucked in a quick breath. She had seen much worse before, seen herself as Empress and ruling next to Kylo Ren, her skin gaunt and eyes glowing red-orange.
But that had never come true. Because of her choice. The same was true for Ben.
She focused, and instead thought of Ben, her compass due north. She saw his face in her mind, the curve of his full lips, the freckles that dotted his skin and neck, the depth of his brown eyes, and felt the waves settle in her mind.
She was almost done, the pieces nearly together now. Blood began to rush loudly in her ears as she felt the effort drain her until finally, the moment of ascendance came. The two halves that completed her saber fused together, then all went quiet.
Rey slowly peeled her eyes open. Between her palms floated two perfectly parallel handles made of the familiar power coupling of her old staff. Her mouth fell open as she let it fall gently into her hands. Her eyes trailed over it in wonder as she grazed her finger tips over the brown grips that had protected her for years on Jakku. It was as perfect as she had designed it in her mind - two parallel hilts fused together with a switch mechanism that could be swung out into a full dual-bladed lightsaber.
Triumph filled her. Finally. The grin widened on her face as she unfolded her legs and stood, saber gripped tightly in her hands.
"Here goes..."
She held her breath as her thumb flipped the circular ignition sequence. Two stunning, yellow parallel blades erupted from each end of the hilt in perfect unison. She gasped at the beauty of it. It felt alive in her hands, with its own pulse and set of lungs vibrating and bursting with energy and power. She swung the saber outward to it's full length, the blades singing through the air with an electric hum as the hilt locked into place.
The grass sizzled below her as one end kissed the ground. She began to move, slowly at first, enjoying the new, higher pitched sound as it cut through the air. It was more comfortable than any saber she had ever wielded before, as if it was an extension of her own body. She moved faster, faster, slicing and striking through the empty air. The grip felt perfect, the weight distribution was perfect, everything about it was perfect. She laughed breathlessly to herself as she twirled the saber above her head, across her body, striking, parrying, spinning and dancing through the grass beneath her.
Her chest heaved as she stopped and straightened in the grass. She swung the blades back together so they were parallel again, then switched it off and watched as they disappeared back into the hilt with a gratifying snap.
She steadied herself and found stillness in the sweet air of the morning. Euphoria filled her, the day almost too perfect. Just one last thing would make her complete. She reached out through the force, but didn't have to search far. Their minds were bridged, after all.
She brushed up against his force signature, wrapping her entire mind around his in a warm embrace.
Ben. Come to me. She called through their connection.
She felt his answering nudge through their bond, then she plopped back down to the grass to meditate as she gradually sensed him get closer.
Rey's saber looked much smaller in his hands, as though he could snap the thing in half if he wanted to. Ben gripped the hilt, shaking his head and smiling.
"Well then, give it a go." She urged.
Ben flashed his dark eyes at her, taking a few steps back in the grass. He thumbed the ignition and her saber came to life again. He gazed up at the blades, eyes reflecting a brilliant golden yellow like a sun. His lips parted and he swung the hilt until the blades extended fully. "It's as magnificent as the woman who made it." He said as he deftly gave the staff a few twirls.
Rey frowned, "You were right about the visions."
His focus shifted to her as he straightened and disengaged the saber, "What'd you see?" She opened her mouth to speak but already felt his presence weaving through her mind. "Oh." He breathed. "Not so bad."
She shrugged, "I've seen worse."
Ben stepped to her, handing her back the saber. He towered over her now, tendrils of black hair falling around his face. He reached a hand up to cup her chin, "Remember. I won't let you lose yourself." His dark eyes burned almost black in that way that made her heart skip. It had only been a few days since Rikk had returned Ben to her, and already his constant presence alone quieted her mind and soothed her fears.
"I believe you." Rey flicked her gaze down to his hip and eyed his grandfather's saber. She looked back up at him and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
His full lips slowly molded into a smile as he caught her meaning. "Alright." He said as he took a few steps back, unclipping his saber.
Rey ignited her saberstaff. It purred as she positioned it in front of her body, bright yellow reflecting off the white of her clothes. She crouched into a fighting stance.
She locked into Ben's mind. Let's just be care-
She couldn't even get the full thought across their bond before Ben lunged forward at her, attacking instantly. She spun and blocked his blow, their blades crashing together loudly, then slid away to return an attack. The dance was on, a blur of blue and yellow. They moved together, anticipating each other's attacks, being careful not to hurt one another but also not making it easy.
She loved sparring with Ben because it was a challenge, his skill matching hers. After a while, Rey's muscles began to burn under her skin, but she didn't let up. An idea struck her and she threw up a wall to hide it from him. Ben stabbed forward but she jumped out of the way, catching his blow with one end of her staff, then quickly spinned to fold her saber until his blade was sandwiched in between her two blades. His whole body jerked forward towards her as she yanked her saber closer to her body.
His face was inches from hers as he grunted and frowned at his locked blade, "Nice trick." The bands of muscle in his arms strained as he held tightly to the hilt of his caught weapon.
Satisfaction flooded her as she grinned breathlessly. Despite their iron-clad bond, she had successfully hid her next move from him. He inched closer to her face, eyes searing into hers, then a wave consumed her. She suddenly felt inexplicably drawn to him. Her mouth fell open as the field around them seemed to disappear and the only thing in front of her, no, in her very existence was him.
Ben moved blindingly fast, her surroundings rushing back to her. Dazed, she shook her head as she realized her mistake. He hopped back, moving his large frame so quick, and thrust his free hand forward, sending out a powerful force-push in her direction. She stumbled backwards, losing her balance. Defeated, she let the saber fall from her hands and disengage as she plopped down into the grass with a thud.
"Ughh!" She groaned, rolling her eyes and flinging herself back into the grass as she covered her face with her hands. She heard Ben clip his saber to his belt, then suddenly he was over her in the grass, his arms framing her face.
"Sorry." He mumbled, a hint of a smile touched his voice. "But that was payback for the last time we trained together on Ahch-To." Her thoughts mirrored the images of his memory, how he had locked her between her staff and his body and she had cleverly seduced him to find a lapse in his focus to break free and deal a blow to his stomach.
She uncovered her eyes, placing her hands against his chest. Her vision was filled by his beautiful face, framed by the pale blue sky above them. "Fair enough. But you know I don't like losing."
He lowered down to her, kissing her forehead, then her nose, to her cheek, then trailing down to her neck as he pressed his body into hers. She groaned at the comforting feeling of his weight on her. His hair tickled her face as he whispered in her ear, "I can make it up to you."
Rey swallowed but it came out like a gulp. She closed her eyes, Ben striking a match in her core and lighting a fire. She chuckled breathlessly, "Sounds...fair." She felt his excitement grow as he tapped into hers.
He continued to kiss her neck until she grew impatient, grabbing his face and capturing his mouth with hers, locking in a sweet kiss. Her lips parted, opening his, and they eagerly explored each other further. Her fists were locked in his hair when she suddenly sensed a pang of anxiety creep through their bond.
Rey pulled away, their chests heaving slightly. "What is it?" She tried to nudge into his mind, searching for a clue, but was met with a curtain he threw up. She frowned. "Ben..."
He rolled off of her, sitting up in the grass as another wave of anxiety rippled off him. She lifted forward, keeping her eyes locked on his face, but he remained maddeningly stoic.
The corners of his lips tugged slightly, "I, uh, have something for you." Ben reached into the pocket of his tunic and pulled out his fist, wrapped tightly around something hidden. He reached for her hand, placing the object in her palm. It was cool to the touch and small, but she felt it's significant weight in her hand. Rey was speechless as she gazed eagerly down, watching as his hand floated away to reveal what he had given her.
At first, she didn't recognize it, just a small ball of gold and blue. She blinked and brought the object closer to her face.
"Is this..." she looked up at Ben. He tugged on a thin, golden chain around his throat, pulling it out from beneath his tunic. It was the other half of Leia's Alderaanian signet ring, tied around his neck to fall perfectly over his heart.
"Your mother's ring..." Her voice caught in throat and she blinked, wetness rolling down her cheeks. "It's beautiful." The ring was a smaller version of the one she remembered Leia wearing. It was a brilliant, twisted gold band surrounding a single, deep sapphire stone. The one around Ben's neck mirrored it exactly, though it laid flat against his heart.
"When you returned this to me on Ahch-To, I knew I had to give a piece of it back to you, somehow. My mother would want you to have it. And I...want you to have a piece of it, from...me." He reached for her hand and slid the ring on her fourth finger. She gaped down at her hand. "Before we left for Pasaana, I asked Lando to help me with this. Naturally, he knows the best jewelers in the core worlds, and trusts only one skilled enough to work on rare Alderaanian pieces."
He cocked his head at her and smiled as he leaned forward and wiped the tears from both of her cheeks. She winked and wiggled her fingers at him. "Does this make me a Solo?
He laughed, but then paused as he grew serious, the anxiety returning. "Well...two that are one, remember?"
She lunged forward onto him, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her entire body into his until he fell back into the grass with a grunt. She found his mouth, kissing him deeply as his arms snaked around her waist.
She had found friendship, even family, in Finn, Han, Leia, Luke, Chewy, and everyone in the resistance. But through Ben, she had found home - the other half of herself she had searched for all those years on Jakku, that she had believed to be missing.
The new weight on her finger reminded her that it had been there all along.
Note from the author: for a visual of Leia's ring that she wears in episode 8 & 9, type in "Leia's alderaan signet ring" into google images. i loved all of Leia's regal outfits and jewelry in 8 & 9, and the stories behind some of those pieces are interesting and fun to weave into this story.
i adore you all, dear readers :)